BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies players began arriving here late yesterday as they assemble ahead of their trip to Australia to begin their three-Test tour Down Under.
The Jamaican trio of captain Chris Gayle, Jerome Taylor and Brendan Nash were expected in the island last evening while the remainder of the 15-man squad were scheduled to arrive early today.
The squad is expected to fly out tonight for the tour which will see them play matches in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth before returning to the Caribbean just before Christmas Day.
For the first time in three months, selectors have chosen the best squad available following the bitter contracts dispute that forced them to hastily string together a makeshift unit for the Bangladesh series and the subsequent ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.
“We were very relieved and the selectors are very happy that at last the impasse has come to an end and we were able to choose from all the players in the Caribbean, all that made themselves available for [the] regional tournament,” chairman of selectors Clyde Butts told CMC Sports recently.
Teenage Trinidadian opener Adrian Barath is poised to make his debut on tour. He was named in the squad to face Bangladesh back in July but had a possible debut scuppered by the impasse.
The 19-year-old is one of two uncapped players in the squad with Leeward Islands fast bowler Gavin Tonge also included for his first Test tour, after turning out for the second string side in five One-Day Internationals.
After their 48-hour journey, West Indies will have precious little time to prepare for what will be a tough series against the World champions.
They play a single warm-up match, a four-day fixture against Queensland starting November 18, before the first Test gets underway on November 26 at the Gabba in Brisbane.
The regional side will face Australia in the second Test starting December 4 at the Adelaide Oval before the final Test bowls off at the WACA Ground on December 16.
